Mom and dad don't need to get involved anymore in tests for incest. (Shutterstock)

(Newser)
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Suspect your parents may have been related? Well, now you can find out behind their back, thanks to new advances in DNA testing, USA Today reports. In a study published yesterday, doctors revealed that they can now determine if a child is born of incest without testing the DNA of either parent. They made the breakthrough while analyzing the DNA of disabled children to determine which genes trigger various disabilities.

They found 10 children whose genetic patterns were only possible if their parents had been father-daughter, mother-son or brother-sister couples. “This is a first report of a potentially important new category of incidental findings in medicine,” said one bioethicist. “We are going to learn a lot more about undisclosed relationships.” That could put doctors in uncomfortable situations in the future—if they discover the mother was a minor, for example, they’ll be legally required to report child abuse.

Why does it always go back to politics? My father was a high genius. I asked him which party he belonged to. He said "Oh Joy, never label yourself. That's walking into a cage and locking the door. Once you label yourself you are bound by those labels. You take offense on behalf of the label, defend the label, and slowly attune your own morals and ethics to that of the label. Then, you form "us versus them" mentality. You eventually argue against ideas you would have stood for before you were labeled, and change your ideas to fit the label. And the other people, that used to be your neighbor, are now the bad guys. Quite labeling yourself. no group of people feel entirely the same way. Humans weren't meant to be put in boxes. We all have a very unique view, a unique concept on every political concept. On every concept on life.

SPHeroid

Feb 12, 2011 7:22 PM CST

I suppose the 17% that found this hilarious is self-explanatory...

professortech

Feb 12, 2011 4:36 PM CST

I can't believe no one has commented on the statement in the story that this technology puts doctors in the "uncomfortable position" of having to report abuse of a minor to the authorities. Hell I would have thought that NOT reporting of such abuse would be a violation of professional, if not personal, ethics.The physician's creed of "Primum non nocere" - "First, do no harm" would certainly apply. By knowing that a child is being abused and letting the abuser remain free to continue abuse the physician would be doing tremendous harm. .